ABHA DAWESHAR, author of The Three Of Us: startling and funny gender questions.
ARUNDHATI ROY, The God Of Small Things: blew the literary world apart with her debut novel.
ARUNDHATI SUBRAMANIAM: sensitive and impactful poet who was writer-in-residence at Stirling University.
BERNADINE EVARISTO, whose novels-in-verse explore history and identity. I interviewed her in 2004.
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KHUSHWANT SINGH and KEKI DARUWALA at a writers' confluence .
MAHALASA: the Goa goddess who played muse for Maria's Room.
MARQUEZ, part writer-part magician, inspiration for many a writer today.
MICHAEL ONDAATJE, novelist and poet of rare calibre.
M.T. VASUDEVAN NAIR, PAUL ZACHARAIAH, KIRAN NAGARKAR and AMITAV GHOSH---yes, at that same creative confluence.
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NARGIS, a friend & poet whose biography Daddy charmed even President Kalam.
SHINIE ANTONY, a friend & short story writer whose eyes see things ours don't.
FOREVER BHAGYAM: Bhagirathi Narayanan, great friend, great actress, path-breaking lawyer and activist, she acted in two of my plays. On April 15, 2005, she walked on stage, uttered a few lines, collapsed and died. She died as she lived, and left a void that only nostalgia can fill.
BIBI BASKIN: Friend & celebrity TV presenter from UK who came to South India for a visit---and stayed on. She runs a resort, Raheem Residency in Alapuzha, Kerala, where I stayed for a week to finish my novel Devil's Garden.
CORINNE FOWLER, PhD student at Stirling University and travel writer, she walked the length of England and is passionate about the human cause. A great friend & guide during my Stirling stay.
SAUL BELLOW, a writer with breadth and breath, whose character Henderson lived as I taught my MA (Eng. Lit.) students.
JAY'S PENCILS: Who'd believe this is a pencil picture? My nephew, Jayagopal Varma, currently in the US, is an extraordinary artist using colur pencils. This picture depicts an ancient Namboodiri house, now renovated. GOING BACK: I conducted a workshop at my old college, the Madras Christian College, Tambaram, where I'd studied and taught. Physics Prof. Lakshminarayanan is seen presenting a memento. RAGHU: My nephew, Rama Varma (Raghu), who is a heavenly singer and veena-player, a delightful punster and creative mind with another creative genius, our President Abdul Kalam. This one isn't too clear since it was a photograph of a photograph, that too taken with a mobile phone CLOSE FRIENDS: In good old times with Dr Papa and Sanjay. EATING POINT: At a typical Kerala sit-down lunch in Bangalore with my cousin Balan. THE DESIGNER: My elder son Vinayak at his design school. THE BIKER: Vinayak, proud of his bike the day he bought it. LITTLE BOY: My younger son Karthik with friends Keshav, Uma and Shrithu. BIG BOY: Karthik draws attention during his first play with a public audience. THE BEACH: Marina Beach during the Tsunami terror. I was on a different beach in Chennai between the second and third waves with Karthik. GREAT GRANDPA: A collage designed by Vinayak depicting my great-great grandfather the artist Raja Ravi Varma.
